This document provides an overview of key concepts for using a video camera, including:
- Different types of shots like close-ups, medium shots, and long shots that can be used.
- Techniques for proper framing using the rule of thirds.
- Tips for adjusting settings like focus, zoom, white balance, and ensuring proper lighting when shooting.
- Guidance on using tripods, monopods, and handheld shooting techniques.
- Notes on pre-roll and post-roll periods to allow for smooth editing.
2. What you see is different than what the
camera sees
GIGO Principle
Garbage In, Garbage Out
3. Power to your camera
Battery
AC Adaptor
Viewfinder vs. LCD
InsertingTapes
Be Gentle!!!
4. Adjustments to the camera
Viewfinder
Strap(s)
Recording
2 Record buttons
Record lamp
Recording yourself
Flip the screen!
5. Amount of time you should leave for editing
so you don’t cut off front or back ends of
shot.
Camera needs time after you hit RECORD before
it actually starts
Pre Roll…count to 5 before the action truly
begins
Post Roll…count to 5
6. Professionals use tripods…be professional
Leveling
For smaller cameras—use monopods
Don’t transport while attached
8. Sometimes tripods just aren’t practical
example: football game
Don’t zoom
Use your own body and/or surroundings
▪ Both hands
▪ Elbow in
Uncoil your body as you pan
9. Tells the camera what objects are white
Very blue or very orange shots
If light is changing (ex: sun setting) you HAVE
to reset white balance regularly
10. If possible – manually white balance
ZOOMALLTHEWAY IN on something white
Follow instruction manual
Don’t cover white balance sensor
Be sure red from tall light isn’t reflecting off
your hand
11. 2 levers
W=Wide,T=Tight/Telephoto
Lightly for slow zoom, hard for fast zoom
12. Optical zoom—lens/mechanism actually
moves to adjust
Zoom factor of 1x to 15x
Digital zoom—super magnification BUT
further you zoom, the harder it is to keep
focus and steady shot
500x, 750x or more
As magnification increases, quality decreases
STAY AWAY FROM DIGITAL ZOOM
13. Just like white-balancing, if you use
“automatic” setting, the camera has to guess
You’re the only one who knows whatYOU
want to be focused, soYOU should use
manual if you can
14. Follow instructions in manual
Might be an “MF” button
Done by rotating lens itself OR inside a menu
15. Zoom all in the way in on your subject
Focus
Zoom back out and setup your shot
If you’re shooting a person—zoom in & focus
on their eyes, because that’s where your
audience looks first
16. Focus is an issue of distance between the
subject and camera
If the distance between the two changes—the
image needs to be refocused
17. Most objects need to be at least 5 feet away
to zoom/focus properly
If within 5 feet, zoom all the way out and
move the CAMERA closer
28. If subject is looking to one side, feels
constricted on one side
Shift subject away from the direction of the
look
29. Viewers want to see where a moving
object/subject is going—not where it’s been
30. Nothing distracting—like kids making funny
faces behind you
Nothing boring—like hall walls
Find settings that are relevant to your story
31. Ex: if you’re doing a story about busses, go
outside and shoot your piece with busses in
the background
If you’re doing a story about the school
store’s Slushee Machine, and you want to
interview students about their favorite
flavor, where could you set up the
shot/interviews?